If you’re planning a Walt Disney World holiday from the UK, choosing between Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort can be surprisingly difficult.

They’re neighbours, they’re both Disney Value Resorts, both have access to the Disney Skyliner, and at first glance they seem very similar.

But there are some important differences.

Art of Animation has the more spectacular theming and, crucially, family suites that can sleep up to six. Pop Century is generally the better-value choice for smaller families and couples, particularly if you’re happy with a standard room and expect to spend most of your time in the parks.

So which should you book?

Here’s our detailed comparison for British visitors to Walt Disney World.

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Pop Century vs Art of Animation: the quick verdict

	Pop Century	Art of Animation
Disney category	Value	Value
Best for	Couples & families of up to 4	Families, especially larger families
Standard rooms	Yes	Yes – Little Mermaid
Family suites	No	Yes – up to 6
Bathrooms	1	2 in family suites
Skyliner	Yes	Yes
Disney buses	Yes	Yes
Main theme	1950s–1990s pop culture	Disney & Pixar films
Pools	3 themed pools	3 themed pools
Food	Food court	Food court
Typical price	Usually cheaper	Usually more expensive
My pick for a family of 4	⭐ Pop Century
My pick for 5–6 people		⭐ Art of Animation

Both resorts offer complimentary Disney transportation, and both are connected to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios by the Skyliner.

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The biggest difference: the rooms

This is the first thing I’d look at when doing a Pop Century vs Art of Animation comparison.

Pop Century

Pop Century’s standard rooms sleep up to four adults.

Current room configurations include a queen bed plus a queen-size pull-down bed, or a king bed. The rooms also have a beverage cooler, coffee machine, safe and free Wi-Fi.

They’re relatively compact, but that’s not necessarily a problem.

If you’re a British family of four who is going to spend most days at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, you may not actually spend very much time in the room.

In that situation, why pay for space you aren’t going to use?

That’s one of Pop Century’s strongest arguments.

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Art of Animation’s secret weapon: family suites

This is where Art of Animation becomes a completely different proposition.

The resort has standard Little Mermaid rooms sleeping up to four, but it also has family suites sleeping up to six. Disney’s suites have two bathrooms, a kitchenette with a microwave and refrigerator, and separate sleeping/living areas.

For a family of five or six, that’s potentially a game changer.

Think about the difference when you’re trying to get everyone ready for a 7am breakfast reservation or an early park entry:

One bathroom vs two.

That may be worth considerably more to you than the Disney theming.

The suites are also particularly useful if you’re travelling with grandparents or another adult.

My verdict

Family of 4: Pop Century gets the advantage.

Family of 5–6: Art of Animation wins.

Family travelling with grandparents: Art of Animation is very attractive.

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Pop Century vs Art of Animation: which is cheaper?

Disney room prices vary enormously according to:

• date
• season
• room type
• promotions
• length of stay
• availability
• preferred vs standard location

Recent published comparisons show Pop Century generally coming in cheaper than equivalent Art of Animation rooms, while the Art of Animation family suites can be substantially more expensive.

And this is important for British visitors.

A difference of, say, £20–£40 per night might initially look insignificant.

But multiply that by a 14-night holiday and it becomes:

£280–£560

Obviously, times of year, demand, and exchange rate will make these numbers move around a bit, but it’s a useful illustration.

And the difference between a Pop Century standard room and an Art of Animation family suite can be considerably larger than that.

So don’t ask:

“Which hotel is cheaper?”

Ask:

“What am I getting for the extra money?”

If you’re comparing standard rooms for a family of four, I’d generally favour Pop Century.

If you’re comparing Pop Century against an Art of Animation family suite for five or six people, you’re comparing two quite different products.

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Which has the better theming?

This one is almost impossible to answer objectively.

Pop Century

Pop Century celebrates American pop culture from the 1950s through to the 1990s.

Think:

• giant yo-yos
• Rubik’s Cubes
• roller skates
• eight-track tapes
• computers
• huge decade-themed icons

Disney describes the resort as celebrating the fads and fashions of those decades.

For British parents, there’s actually something quite fun about this.

Your children may see it as wonderfully retro.

You may see it as things you remember from your own childhood.

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Art of Animation

Art of Animation is much more traditionally “Disney”.

The resort is divided into areas themed around:

• The Little Mermaid
• The Lion King
• Finding Nemo
• Cars

Disney has made the theming extremely immersive, with enormous character figures and colourful courtyards.

For younger children, I’d give Art of Animation the clear advantage.

Winner: Art of Animation

But if your children are older, or you’re a Disney adult, Pop Century is far from boring.

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Which has the better swimming pools?

Both have three themed pools.

Pop Century’s main Hippy Dippy Pool is surrounded by its 1960s theming, while its Bowling and Computer pools provide alternatives around the resort. Disney describes the Hippy Dippy Pool as having flower-shaped water jets and a separate children’s pool nearby.

Art of Animation’s pools are arguably more immersive, particularly the Big Blue Pool in the Finding Nemo area.

Disney describes it as the largest resort pool at Walt Disney World.

Winner: Art of Animation

But I wouldn’t pay a significant premium just for the pool.

If your children love swimming and you are planning several resort days, it becomes more important.

If you’re doing two weeks of theme parks and barely seeing the pool, it doesn’t.

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Transport: this is where both hotels are excellent

This is probably the biggest reason I’d consider either resort for a British visitor who doesn’t want to hire a car.

Both have Disney Skyliner access.

The Skyliner connects the resorts with:

• EPCOT
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios

and provides a very useful alternative to the buses.

That can be a significant advantage.

Imagine finishing a long day at Hollywood Studios and knowing you can get onto the Skyliner rather than waiting for a bus.

There is also complimentary Disney bus transportation to the other areas of Walt Disney World. So in a Pop Century vs Art of Animation comparison, it’s pretty much the same.

This makes both resorts particularly attractive if:

• you’re not hiring a car
• you’re travelling with children
• you want easy access to EPCOT
• you want easy access to Hollywood Studios
• you’re planning to spend a lot of time at Disney rather than elsewhere in Orlando

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Can you walk between Pop Century and Art of Animation?

Yes.

The two resorts sit on opposite sides of Hourglass Lake and are connected by a pedestrian bridge.

That means you can effectively use the facilities at the neighbouring resort as an additional option.

This is particularly useful if you fancy walking over to explore the theming, or want to experience the atmosphere of both resorts.

And honestly, I’d recommend doing that even if you’re staying at Pop Century.

You don’t have to stay at Art of Animation to enjoy seeing the Cars, Finding Nemo and Lion King areas.

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What about food?

Let’s be blunt here, neither resort is a destination for fine dining. Much like the All-Star Resorts, POP and Art (as I’m calling them to save me typing) all share a similar dining vibe. Simple, almost food court fayre. I wouldn’t recommend having all your meals in these resorts, but you’re on holiday, and there’s nothing much wrong with the food options (and there’s usually a wide choice). Sneak a vegetable in here or there and you’ll be fine.

Both are fundamentally Value Resort food-court hotels.

That’s not necessarily a criticism.

For a British family spending most of the day in the parks, having somewhere convenient to grab breakfast or a quick dinner can actually be preferable to having a full-service restaurant.

But if you’re staying for 10–14 nights, you may find the food-court format gets repetitive.

That’s one of the things I’d factor into the overall decision.

You can, of course, travel elsewhere on Disney property for dining, or there’s eating in the parks. As I said above, eating in either of these resorts is fine, we just wouldn’t recommend it every day every meal, as it’ll become a bit…samey !

And the Skyliner makes getting to resorts around the Skyliner route considerably easier. So in the POP Century vs Art of Animation battle, this one is kind of even.

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Which is better for British families?

I’d choose Pop Century if:

• you’re a family of four or fewer
• you’re trying to keep your Orlando budget under control
• you’ll spend most days in the parks
• you don’t need a separate living area
• you don’t need two bathrooms
• you want Disney theming without paying Deluxe Resort prices
• you want Skyliner access
• you’re happy using buses for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom

For many British families of four, Pop Century is the sweet spot.

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I’d choose Art of Animation if:

• you’re travelling with five or six people
• you want a family suite
• two bathrooms would make family life considerably easier
• your children are particularly excited by Disney/Pixar characters
• you want a more immersive Disney environment
• you’re planning to spend significant time at the resort
• the price difference isn’t too painful

For larger families, Art of Animation becomes much easier to justify.

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What about couples?

This is one area where I’d strongly favour Pop Century.

If there are only two of you, I don’t see much reason to pay a substantial premium for an Art of Animation family suite.

The Little Mermaid rooms are an option, of course, but if you’re looking for a Value Resort experience and you’re primarily using the room as somewhere to sleep, Pop Century makes a lot of sense.

And its retro theming can be surprisingly appealing to adults.

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What about teenagers?

This one’s closer.

I’d probably choose:

Pop Century

if your teenagers are more interested in the parks than the hotel.

Art of Animation

if they love:

• Cars
• Finding Nemo
• The Lion King
• Disney/Pixar

The Skyliner is also a genuine plus for teenagers who want a little more independence within the Disney environment.

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What about staying off-site instead?

This is an important question for British visitors because Disney Value Resort prices rarely cheaper than good off-site accommodation, even when including aspects like not needing a hire car, and getting free Disney dining.

If you’re hiring a car anyway, an off-site hotel or villa can sometimes offer considerably more space for your money.

But don’t compare the headline room price alone.

Consider:

• parking
• transport
• resort fees
• breakfast
• travel time
• Disney resort benefits
• convenience
• whether you need a hire car

Disney Resort hotel guests currently receive benefits including Early Theme Park Entry, complimentary Disney transportation and access to advance planning windows for things such as dining and Lightning Lane passes.

So the calculation isn’t simply:

Disney hotel £X vs off-site hotel £Y.

It’s:

What does the extra Disney Resort cost buy me?

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So… Pop Century or Art of Animation?

🏆 Overall winner for most families of four: Pop Century

I’d choose Pop Century if you’re a typical British family of four looking for a Disney hotel that keeps the cost under control while giving you the huge advantage of Skyliner access.

🏆 Winner for larger families: Art of Animation

If you’re five or six people, the family suites and two bathrooms can justify the additional cost.

🏆 Winner for theming: Art of Animation

It’s difficult to beat the scale of the Cars, Finding Nemo and Lion King areas.

🏆 Winner for value: Pop Century

Particularly if you’re comparing standard rooms.

🏆 Winner for transport: Draw

Both have Skyliner access and Disney bus transportation.

🏆 Winner for couples: Pop Century

I’d save the money and spend it elsewhere.

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Our verdict

If the price difference is small, I’d be tempted by Art of Animation.

The theming is fantastic, the family suites are genuinely useful and the resort feels special.

But if the difference becomes several hundred dollars over a two-week stay, I’d be asking whether that money would be better spent on:

• an extra Disney park day
• better dining
• a character meal
• Lightning Lane
• a Universal day
• or simply more spending money.

For a family of four, Pop Century is probably the smarter buy.

For a family of five or six, Art of Animation becomes a much more compelling proposition.

And perhaps most importantly:

Don’t overlook the Skyliner.

For a British family who doesn’t want to hire a car for their entire Orlando holiday, the ability to travel easily to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios is one of the biggest reasons both of these resorts deserve to be on your shortlist.

And finally…

Once you’re done comparing Pop Century vs Art of Animation – take a look at our guide to DisneyWorld, a free download here.